Pilot Knight Fountain Pen Review

Product Review of the Pilot Knight Fountain Pens

I really love the Pilot brand and so I was excited to try the Pilot Knight fountain pen. I like the overall look of the pen. The cap and the barrel on the Pilot Knight fountain pen are both a dull silver matte finish. The top of the cap is a glossy silver finish with a matching glossy clip. The clip is integrated into the cap with a wrap around hinge that I really like. This clip opens very wide making it easy to insert the pen into a pocket with thicker material.

Pilot Knight review - fountain pen disassembled and box
The Pilot Knight Fountain Pen comes in a blue faux leather clam shell style box that holds up to 3 pens. I guess you could use the case for carrying the pen and others. It is a hard outer shell so it would work well in a bag and protect the pens well. It is a bit bulky if you are trying to transport in a pocket though.

There is very little on the pen in the way of branding. At the bottom of the cap is printed Pilot on one side and Japan on the other. It is a very fine print so it doesn't stand out too much. I like the subtlety of it.

The cap on the pen is a compression fit which I like. It makes it quick and easy to remove and begin writing. The cap adds weight to the barrel when it is posted but I feel the pen is just big enough for my hands to write well with out it posted. For my writing I think it is too heavy when it is posted and my hands would tire quicker.

The Pilot Knight fountain pen comes with an ink cartridge as well as a squeeze style ink converter. Since the Pilot pens have proprietary ink cartridges the converter allows you to use a wider range of inks than just the Pilot brand inks.

Pilot Knight fountain pen review - nib closeupWriting with the pen I get a nice thick line with the medium nib. I would say it is thicker than most Japanese pens or Pilot medium nibs and closer to a European medium. If I leave the pen for a few days and then bring it out to use it the ink has dried up and I have to prime the pen. Once I get the ink flowing in the pen it works great and is plenty wet with good flow. If I use the pen each day I don't have the problem of it drying.

Pilot Knight Fountain Pen Review - Pros
  • Great value for the price.
  • Excellent entry level pen.
  • Great nib and smooth writer.


Pilot Knight Fountain Pen Review - Cons
  • Minor ink flow issues when the pen is not used for a few days. Have to prime the nib to restart the pen.


Pilot Knight Fountain Pen Review Conclusion


Overall the Pilot Knight is a great fountain pen in the low range price point. The pen retails for $48 but the Pen Chalet price makes it just more than the Pilot Metropolitan fountain pen. The Pilot Metropolitan pen comes with more colors and additional nib sizes but I do feel the Pilot Knight is a sturdier, better quality pen. Both pens are great entry level or inexpensive pens. I honestly don't feel you can go wrong with a Pilot pen. Pilot makes great nibs and quality fountain pens.

Buy the Pilot Knight Fountain Pens


Specs of the Pilot Knight Fountain Pens

Length: 5.375 in.
Posted Length: 5.750 in.
Diameter: 0.400 in.
Weight: 1.200 oz.
Body/Trim: Aluminum
FillType: Cartridge/Converter



Pilot Knight Reviews from our Customers

See what our customers have to say about the Pilot Knight Fountain Pens. Don't just take our word for it, read actual customer reviews of the product and see what they think.
quality:
quality rating 5 out of 5
function:
function rating 5 out of 5
style:
style rating 5 out of 5
value:
value value 5 out of 5
Overall rating:
4.6
out of 5
(35 reviews)

 
First bought one at an Office depot or Staples and fell in love with it. Shortly after I found Pen Chalet and ordered I think it was 3 of them. Now after many years of driving long distance heavy trucks often oversize. Log books are pressure sensitive copies Ball point is needed. I now have settled in Florida and got my collection out of storage and married a wonderful Russian sport champion. Now I have taken an interest again. My first thought was of the Knight and I wanted one again. I am not certain but I think they are no longer available it is a shame timeless design gone by the wayside.......
overall: 5 out of 5
overall rating 5 out of 5
quality:
quality rating 5 out of 5
function:
function rating 5 out of 5
style:
style rating 5 out of 5
value:
value value 5 out of 5
Great pen, my son loves it
overall: 5 out of 5
overall rating 5 out of 5
quality:
quality rating 5 out of 5
function:
function rating 5 out of 5
style:
style rating 5 out of 5
value:
value value 5 out of 5
Very happy with my purchase
overall: 5 out of 5
overall rating 5 out of 5
quality:
quality rating 5 out of 5
function:
function rating 5 out of 5
style:
style rating 5 out of 5
value:
value value 5 out of 5
I bought this as an upgrade from my collection of Metropolitans, and I am really happy with it. The only "issue" I've had is some really dry writing after a couple of lines. This seems to have gotten better, so maybe it was just some residual oil that I was not able to wash away when I got it, but that has now been removed after 10-15 pages of writing.

The grip section I feel like is a hit or miss for many people. The grip is really short and close to the paper, so f you don't want to grip the barrel of the pen when you are writing, you may feel you are holding the pen really far down.

If the grip thing don't seem like a problem to you, I can with all my heart recommend this pen. Great value. If you already have a Metropolitan, Kakuno or any of the other Pilot pens that use this nib, there is nothing stopping you from changing the nibs between them and experiencing this pen with another nib size.
overall: 5 out of 5
overall rating 5 out of 5
quality:
quality rating 5 out of 5
function:
function rating 5 out of 5
style:
style rating 5 out of 5
value:
value value 5 out of 5
It's a nice pen for the price, it looks good, and writes well. I use it for "tight" places where not much room is available for annotation...but my favorite nib is a stub...which this isn't available in. I did NOT like the bladder type of converter that comes with Pilot; such a small capacity that you'd be better off using an expended and cleaned Pilot cartridge filled with your favorite bottled ink.
overall: 4 out of 5
overall rating 4 out of 5
quality:
quality rating 4 out of 5
function:
function rating 4 out of 5
style:
style rating 4 out of 5
value:
value value 4 out of 5
The pen barrow is slippery, so you have to hold it firm. The pen writes smooth with a little graphite #2 pencil feedback. The line width is extra fine for a medium nib. For the price of $25 a little more than the Pilot Metropolitan. It is acceptable since it looks a little classier. Just wish the pen wasn't that slippery when you picked it up
overall: 5 out of 5
overall rating 5 out of 5
quality:
quality rating 5 out of 5
function:
function rating 5 out of 5
style:
style rating 5 out of 5
value:
value value 5 out of 5
Really nice pen, good weight, smooth nib, but seems to be an issue with it not retaining it's ink. Pen Chalet has been wonderful about it though and very helpful in getting the pen repaired.
overall: 4 out of 5
overall rating 4 out of 5
quality:
quality rating 4 out of 5
function:
function rating 4 out of 5
style:
style rating 4 out of 5
value:
value value 4 out of 5
This pen for the price is unheard of the quality is amazing and writes like a dream will recommend to friends
overall: 5 out of 5
overall rating 5 out of 5
quality:
quality rating 5 out of 5
function:
function rating 5 out of 5
style:
style rating 5 out of 5
value:
value value 5 out of 5
I bought this via a group buy/discount and so far I am pleased. I have not used it much yet, so time may alter my feelings. The nib is finer that I expected, but that is OK with me (this is now the finest nib that I have, Pilot Knight Medium). The average scores in the Rate area simply means that this is par for a $40ish fountain pen. I am not comparing it to a plastic ball point. A couple nits to pick: a. The cartridge failed to work. I tried to coax it with water and spit, but not joy. I took it off and rinsed the feed/nib under running water, reassembled and tried again; no joy. The cartridge was punctured and I could dab some ink on to my finger, but it would not flow in the pen. I tossed the cartridge, installed a Con 50 converter now all is well. b. A personal thing, not a marketing thing, when my skin is dry in the cooler weather, it takes me an extra moment to establish a comfortable grip on the section. I have notice the same problem on other fountain pens as well.
overall: 3 out of 5
overall rating 3 out of 5
quality:
quality rating 3 out of 5
function:
function rating 3 out of 5
style:
style rating 3 out of 5
value:
value value 3 out of 5
Basically I bought this because it was 50% off and how can one go wrong with (another) Pilot pen? Besides it looked nice with the sleek simple elegant silver styling. Has a nice heft to it being it's an all metal pen except for the grip section. Nib is very smooth "M" but Fine line as hoped for as I prefer F/EF nibs. Did not use for several weeks but started without a dry/skip hitch (pleasant surprise) Con-20. Soft but secure click to the cap. Only criticism is the smooth grip section which tapers to the nib and feels like fingers keep wanting to slide down onto the nib. Grip (for me) is best at the widest part where the step-down barrel meets the grip section. Not the most accommodating to grip at that location so knocked it down one level on style. Otherwise a very satisfactory and pleasing pen.
overall: 5 out of 5
overall rating 5 out of 5
quality:
quality rating 5 out of 5
function:
function rating 5 out of 5
style:
style rating 5 out of 5
value:
value value 5 out of 5


Pictures of the Pilot Knight Fountain Pens

Pilot Knight Fountain Pens
play video


Prices for the Pilot Knight Fountain Pens start at:
Retail: $48.00
Sale: $38.40
buy the Pilot Knight Fountain Pens
Ink Rewards Ink Rewards
X
Pen Chalet Ink Rewards
Fast & Easy way to earn FREE stuff!

  • Earn 1 "ink drop" for each $10 you spend.

  • Cash in your "ink drops" for free stuff!
The best part is it's absolutely free!

X
The term "Retail" price refers to the manufacturer's or supplier's suggested retail price for an item. The initially displayed Retail price is specific to a product with the selected default options/features. Please note that the Retail price for the selected product will be provided upon specifying it's color, options, and attributes.

Please note that the Retail price reflects the prevailing market price or the regular retail price. It is common for products to be sold at lower prices than the Retail price due to various factors, including promotional events, discounts, market competition, or supplier agreements.